h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I tried a search under Kites, Kite, and Kite Flying - shurley shome mistake? I was hoping to pick up some tips, as try as I might I can't fly mine single handed - and it's supposed to be a beginner's one too.

Hmmm...my other half is a bit of a kite flyer, and doesn't do much at work all day. I'll see if I can talk her into it.

B

Are you talking stunt kites, or single line? I can't do the stunters, but have done almost all the single line ones. There's a researcher called Phil (who is also an astronomer) who also flies kites. I myself am too lazy to write an article, but if you see one in Peer Review, you could let me know, and I'd probably comment.

Tis' a beginner's stunt, so tis'

There are a number of brands and styles of beginner's stunters that aren't really all that easy (relatively speaking, stunters in general are very hard indeed). What kind did you get?

It's very hard to fly a kite single-handed. You need one person to hold the string and another to hold the kite when you are launching it. Once it is up, it's simple enough.

Stunt kites generally have two strings. You hold one in each hand. You must keep the tension on the two strings the same. If you pull too hard on one side, the kite will turn towards that side, doing a loop. If the kite is looping to the left, pull on the right string and get it to loop the other direction.

Since it is hard to see the strings, always count the loops to the left or right. Never allow the kite to loop more than five times in either direction, as the string wil start to get tangled.

There are two ways to land a stunt kite: in a light wind, you can run towards the kite and it will fall out of the sky. In a strong wind, this won't work. You must pick a side and steer the kite carefully over towards this side. As it gets closer to the wind, you can steer it downwards until it is only a few inches off the ground. They you can drop it onto the ground without breaking it.

There is a basic entry on kites at A134902
For tips and things then AskH2G2 might be a better place to ask as lots of people look there.

I find stunt kites much easier to fly than the single-line ones. The bigger the kite, the easier it is to fly, although you need a good steady wind.

It depends on the design of the kite. I've a couple of single liners that are very easy to fly (if you have enough wind that is).
Bigger kites generally are slower (as are kites with longer lines) and that does make it easier.
When I first tried to fly my two liner it went nowhere. A passing fellow commented that the bridle (the bit that connects the lines to the kite itself) might need a bit of adjustment. When another suitable opportunity came up then I did some adjustments and it now flies quite well. I can launch off the ground when on my own and fly it around though I've not really got the hang of doing any tricks or stunts with it. Landing is where I need a bit more practice though

I've seen guys down in Wexford on Lady's Island Lake on surfboards being pulled by stunt kites!

Yup kitesurfing. Power kites and a surfboard.
It only takes about 5 hours to cross the Irish Sea like that
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2238076.stm

Oh crikey, I feel an edited entry coming on... this hasn't happened to me for about two years. Can somebody please quickly get an entry about kites into Peer Review to stop me having to write it? Thanks.

Anyway, the ones you saw pulling surfboards are NOT stunt kites. They're LEI traction kites.

Kites come in the following varieties:

1. Single line plain. Usually kite shaped (duh!) these things fly up. And, er... that's it. They have a single line. They are the most basic kind of kite.

2. Single line box. Odd shapes, but aerodynamically similar to the plain kite in that they simply go up into the air and stay there. Large examples have been used for lifting men into the air for military surveillance purposes.

3. Single line novelty. Even odder shapes - whales, divers, footballing legs etc. Usually take the form of a tube coloured and cut to resemble something vaguely cylindrical. Usually found at kite festivals as they're very expensive for what they do (i.e. not much)

4. Single line fighting kites. Now we're talking serious. Fighting kites are aerodynamically unstable and *very* difficult to fly, a bit like a helicopter. They LOOK, to the untrained eye, like a simple square of tissue paper lightly glued to a couple of bits of bamboo. The key is in the design. In a neutral position, with not much tension on the line, the kite will spin consistently to the left (say). With slightly more tension on the control line, the main spar with bend and the aerofoil profile will alter, and the kite will fly straight up. With slightly more tension again, the foil will deform further and the kite will turn to the right. The kite is thus able to be controlled (by an expert) like a stunt kite, but using just a single line. This requires an extremely subtle touch. Kite-fighters soak their kite strings in glue then dip them in broken glass, the idea being you wrap the string of your kite around your opponent's string and cut his kite loose. Serious stuff.

5. Two line stunt kites.

What most people seem to have. Come in kite-shapes or delta-wing shapes, and use two handles. Optimised for speed and handling.

6. Two line traction kites

Look like a lilo, and fly like one. Consist of two layers of material, and the aerofoil shape is maintain by the air rushing into the openings on the leading edge keeping the kite "inflated". Can deliver a powerful pull which can be used to pull a vehicle. Can also be "stacked" (i.e. several kites connected together on one set of lines) to increase power.

7. Four line traction kites.

Look like a small paraglider and come in sizes from about 1 square metre up to about ten square metres (for comparison paragliders are typically about 25-30 square metres). Fly a bit like a stunt kite, but additionally have brake lines allowing the sides of the trailing edge to be pulled in to either sharpen and quicken turning to stop the kite in the sky at a particular position, or even fly it backwards. Can be flown on handles (like two big joysticks, one powerline and one brake line per handle, left and right - more control but you need both hands) or a bar (like it sounds - a straight bar, usually with safety leash and pulley system for controlling the brakes. Less fine control than handles but you can fly with one hand.)

Four line traction kites are used to do big jumps, pull mountainboards or three-wheeled buggies at speeds of up to 40mph or more, and occasionally for kitesurfing. However, if you land a standard traction kite in water it will not take off again, hence the need for:

8. LEI surfing kites.

LEI stands for "leading edge inflatable". Unlike most traction kites they are a single skin of fabric, except on the leading edge and the spine, which are waterproof inflatable tubes. This makes the kite launchable from the water - very important. LEI surfing kites can be BIG - 18 square metres is a typical size. They are optimised for lift, traction power and stability. They are therefore NOT stunt kites - any stunts going on with an LEI kite are happening at the BOTTOM of the strings, not the top. They are (usually) also four line kites, but have complicated systems of pulleys to allow the kite to be depowered in strong winds or emergencies. Depower systems allow an 18m2 kite to behave like a 3m2 one (sort of). Like large four line traction kites, LEI kites are almost invariably flown with the aid of a harness similar to the type used in windsurfing.

H.

*faints*

*picks self up*

It *would* be a good entry, and IMHO the editoral process works much better nowadays, hell even Pinniped is a Scout now.

Must work well if Pinniped is involved...

B

Cor blimey guv, strike a light an' no mistake...
Mine's a 2 string small'ish delta wing stunter, wind range for it 8-25 mph. I never suspected a whole science might be involved just for me to try and get my rods, nylon and bits of string skyward. I've decided after reading the above replies I need expert help, so I'll try and catch up with a local kite club on one of their flying days. Cheers,

Kite flying is often thought of as a kid's pastime, but in my experience there's only a limited few designs and types that are easily flown. Much like the hobby of tropical fish keeping, books that claim it's difficult don't sell, so noone tells you the details you need to know to succeed (or emphasizes what you really need to know enough).

I've got a box that works like a fighter, and I've got another box that's a tumbler. I just don't think of boxes as static.

I'm not sure I would put a rogallo kite or a radar kite in the single-line odd shape category.

I can fly single-line fighters. I wonder why I can't do stunters all that well?

I went to a kite festival a couple of years ago, where a chap demonstrated great skill with an Indian Fighting Kite - he caught a released balloon with it!

Hello, slightlyfoxed, I've just had this thread passed on to me by SEF.

If you are flying your kite on a beach, it should be possible to launch your kite by weighting down the trailing edge:

Lay your kite upside down, pointing exactly in the direction of the wind. Pile sand or small pebbles along the trailing edge of the kite to hold it down. Don't use large or sharp stones, as these will damage the sail.

Walk away from your kite, into the wind, laying out your lines. It is vital that both lines are exactly the same length.

Stand with your back to the wind, handles in hand, held about chest height, with a light tension in the lines.

Take a step back, pulling the kite slowly upright. The sand ensures that the nose of the kite lifts first. As it lifts, the sand spills off and the sail fills with air. As the kite tips just past the vertical, the sails will fill properly, and the kite will rise into the air. Keep the tension equal on both lines until the kite is well clear of the ground, and then start your stunt routine.

This launch method works in most winds and most places (although you would have to bring your own sand to a field...), but not if there are low-level obstructions (such as long grass or low dunes) to stop the wind at ground level.

I must try that next time I'm at the beach!